The Cadre’s Collapse

American Woman

This flow traces the cadre’s public rise, its strategic failures, the Los Angeles catastrophe, and the survival of a remnant.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Kidnapping The Kidnapping from "American Woman". The Kidnapping A Spectacular Opening The cadre abducts Pauline in a public operation that shocks the country and draws intense law-enforcement attention.

The Kidnapping from "American Woman". The Kidnapping A Spectacular Opening The cadre abducts Pauline in a public operation that shocks the country and draws intense law-enforcement attention.

The Kidnapping A Spectacular Opening The cadre abducts Pauline in a public operation that shocks the country and draws intense law-enforcement attention. The act gives the group visibility but also makes their survival dependent on a rapidly tightening search. A Captive as Symbol Pauline’s identity and family wealth become central to the political message the group tries to construct.

The Publicity Shift The Publicity Shift from "American Woman". The Publicity Shift Pauline’s Declaration Pauline’s statement that she will remain with the cadre transforms the group’s public image.

The Publicity Shift from "American Woman". The Publicity Shift Pauline’s Declaration Pauline’s statement that she will remain with the cadre transforms the group’s public image.

The Publicity Shift Pauline’s Declaration Pauline’s statement that she will remain with the cadre transforms the group’s public image. Her choice seems to challenge the family’s account, but also gives the cadre a symbolic asset it cannot fully control. Attention as a Double Edge The broadcast brings sympathy and scrutiny in equal measure.

The Bank Robbery The Bank Robbery from "American Woman". The Bank Robbery A Move for Money The cadre robs a bank and takes money to fund its political work.

The Bank Robbery from "American Woman". The Bank Robbery A Move for Money The cadre robs a bank and takes money to fund its political work.

The Bank Robbery A Move for Money The cadre robs a bank and takes money to fund its political work. Pauline appears on security footage, making the authorities’ shift from kidnapping victim to wanted participant more visible. A Narrowing Future The robbery finances the group but sharply raises the risk of confrontation.

The Los Angeles Siege The Los Angeles Siege from "American Woman". The Los Angeles Siege A House Surrounded The cadre is located in Los Angeles and surrounded by police and federal forces.

The Los Angeles Siege from "American Woman". The Los Angeles Siege A House Surrounded The cadre is located in Los Angeles and surrounded by police and federal forces.

The Los Angeles Siege A House Surrounded The cadre is located in Los Angeles and surrounded by police and federal forces. A prolonged exchange of gunfire ends in a fire that kills nine members, while the survivors escape. A Defining Catastrophe The siege turns the group’s political conflict into an image of death broadcast to the nation.

A Remnant on the Run A Remnant on the Run from "American Woman". A Remnant on the Run Three Survivors Juan, Yvonne, and Pauline leave California and reach a farmhouse in New York State.

A Remnant on the Run from "American Woman". A Remnant on the Run Three Survivors Juan, Yvonne, and Pauline leave California and reach a farmhouse in New York State.

A Remnant on the Run Three Survivors Juan, Yvonne, and Pauline leave California and reach a farmhouse in New York State. They carry grief, weapons, and a continuing belief that the struggle must go on. A Group Changed The losses have reduced the cadre to a small and unstable remnant, even as its surviving members resist surrender.

February 1974

April 1974

Two weeks after the declaration

May 1974

After the Los Angeles fire